Probably all of us have gone out on a clear night and
gazed up at the stars. Perhaps we have slept out under the stars, and spent
many hours studying the stars and the many constellations, and watched them as
they made their circuit across the second heaven. (Tell about my experiences in
the Sierra mountains, and the deserts in California).

The heavenly orbs have been a
wonder to mankind since the creation of the world. When we look up at the vast
expanse of heaven at night, and behold the multitude of heavenly orbs, we are
made to think how great God must be to have created all of that! Truly David
said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His
handiwork.” I believe David spent many a night sleeping under the stars when
running from old king Saul.

And as we gaze upon the heavens,
we are made to think how small and insignificant that we are, and wonder why
God would be mindful of such minuscule creatures like us.

Well, the Scriptures have much to
say about the stars. So much, in fact, that we will study the stars in three
messages. This evening we will focus on some of the many attributes and
characteristics of stars, and next two times we will focus in on some of the
symbolism of the stars in the Scriptures.

1) First, the stars were created by God on the fourth day
of creation week (Gen. 1:16-17).

The stars did not evolve over
millions or billions of years. Nor did they come into existence by some big
bang as the atheistic scientists say. Beloved, the naturalistic theory of
origins is just speculation at very best. The fact is, the “big bang theory” is
nothing more than science fiction! But the Bible teaches that God simply
created the stars on creation day foru. He just spoke the word, and they were
created, and set in their proper places.

2) Stars were created for a purpose.

They were created to give light
by night (Genesis 1:16-17 where we read). They were created to declare the
glory of God (Psalm 19:1-3). The stars preach their message of the glory of God
in a universal language. They were also created to praise the Lord (Psalm
148:3). Astronomers say that some stars emit radio waves and their sound can be
heard. Perhaps the stars literally praise the Lord! That’s not too hard
to believe, is it!

3) Stars are great in number (Jeremiah 33:22).

Astronomers say there are about
5,000 stars that can be seen with the naked eye. With a small telescope you can
see hundreds of thousands of stars. With high powered telescopes the number of
stars are enumerable, just like the Bible says.

Astronomers estimate there are 1
x 1022 stars, or in other words, enumerable! They say there are
about 400 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone! You know, the Milky Way,
that’s the galaxy where we live. Astronomers say it is about 30,000 light years
to the center of our galaxy. And astronomers say that there are hundreds of
billions of galaxies in the universe! Multiply that by 400 billion stars, and
you have… a lot of stars!

4) Stars differ in size and in glory (1 Corinthians
15:41).

Some stars are only several miles
in diameter, while some are about the size of the earth, and others are many,
many times larger than our sun. Some stars are bright and glorious, while
others are dim and hardly visible. Paul compares the glory of the resurrection
body with the earthly body, and also the difference between the glory of
glorified saints.

We will not all share the same
glory or position in the eternal state. Some will have more glory than others,
depending on our faithfulness down here. God does make a difference
between His people in this matter of eternal rewards. God doesn’t run the
special Olympics, and not everybody wins the same prize.

5) Stars differ in color.

They range in color from red,
orange, yellow, white, and blue. Likewise, the saints of God are different in
color down here. Will there be different colors of saints in heaven? Well
beloved, don’t be too shocked if there are! But one thing for certain, there won’t
be any prejudice up there!

6) Stars differ in their distance from the earth (Job
22:12).

How high are the stars? They
range from 93 million miles to our sun, to billions of light years away, so
they say. How great is our God, who is everywhere present in the universe. Its
amazing that God would pay special attention to this little planet earth, and
that He would set His love on a bunch of microscopic sinners like us.

7) Stars all have a God given name (Psalms 147:4).

There are “zillions” of stars in
the universe, and God has given everyone a name. Our God is a God of details,
and all of His creation is personal to Him. And not only are the stars personal
to Him, but they are also important to Him.

Beloved, all of God’s elect also
have new, personal names, that He will give us. We are also important to Him.
We are so important that He sent Jesus all the way down to this sin
cursed earth to die on an old rugged cross for our sins!

8) The stars were established forever (Psalm 148:3-6;
Jeremiah 31:35-36).

Scientists say that the stars are
burning up and that one day they will all burn out. God’s Word says that the
stars were established forever. Who are we to believe? If the stars cease to
be, then also will the nation of Israel cease to be, according to our text in
Jeremiah. It appears from the Scriptures that Israel will be around for a while
yet!!! The same can also be said of the Lord’s church, and of all His saints.

What a mighty God we serve,
beloved! He is so great and glorious! The host in verse 26 is speaking about
the stars. He brings out the stars by their number, and “calleth them all by
names by the greatness of His might.”

What kind of God do we serve? He
is strong in power, and not one of those enumerable stars faileth! He is the
everlasting God, and the Creator of the ends of the earth. He faints not,
neither does He become weary. There is no searching His understanding. And
beloved, He is the One who gives power to the faint. And renews the strength of
all who will wait upon Him.

10) Finally, for a long time stars have been objects of
worship by idolaters (Genesis 4:1-4).

This is probably the beginning of
the signs of the Zodiac and of star worship. The Encarta encyclopedia says “It
is believed that the zodiacal signs originated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000
BC. Mesopotamia is the place where the city of Babel was built, and 2,000 BC is
about the time the Tower of Babel was built.

The article goes on to say “The
Greeks adopted the symbols from the Babylonians and passed them on to the other
ancient civilizations. The Egyptians assigned other names and symbols to the
zodiacal divisions. The Chinese also adopted the 12-fold division…
Independently, the Aztec people devised a similar system.”

The Zodiac was a precursor to the
Greek pantheon of idol gods. That is what Paul was up against when he preached
the “unknown God” on Mars Hill.

Beloved, the modern day
astrologers and fortune tellers who worship the stars, are no different than
the ancient Greek and Babylonian idolaters.

God warned His people against
worshipping the stars (Deut. 17:2-5). God pronounced judgment upon His people
who worshipped the stars (Jer. 8:1-2).

Let those who name the Name of
Jesus flee from idolatry!!! Don’t read the horoscopes in the newspapers. Stay
clear of astrologers, and palm readers, and fortune tellers.

God hates all these, and He
doesn’t want His people meddling with them!

Conclusion:

In conclusion, from the stars we
can see the greatness, and power, and glory of God. We can see His eternality,
and His infinite wisdom. We can see His sovereignty, and His infinite mercy.

Beloved, our God is a great God.
He is a God that we can trust with all of our souls for all time and eternity! Do
you trust Him this evening?

STARS

(Part 2)

Stars in the Scriptures, are
sometimes used symbolically of persons. Stars may represent a person’s glory
and greatness. Stars can also represent purity, or power, or popularity. With
these attributes of stars in mind, we want to notice three stars this evening
that are symbolic of three blessed persons that are revealed in the Scriptures.

1.
First and foremost, we want to see God’s Star, the glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

There are several verses of
Scripture that refer to Jesus Christ as a star, or as the sun, which is our
star! Jesus is the Sun that arose in salvation (Isaiah 9:2, 60:1-3; Matthew
4:15-16). Consider the purity, and power, and glory, of this Star in salvation.

A special star appeared at
Christ’s birth as a sign of His coming. (Matt. 2:1-2, 9). What better sign
could God have given to announce the birth of His Son, than a brilliant star to
show forth His glorious coming into the world.

Of His own self Jesus said “I am
the light of the world” (John 8:12). Today He is the spiritual light of the
world, and one day He will be the physical light thereof (Rev. 21:23).

Jesus is the Star of Jacob
(Numbers 24:17). This is the prophecy of Balaam concerning the great King and
Ruler that would come out of Israel, who is none other than Jesus Christ. This
Star is the greatest and most glorious of all stars, for he would come forth
out of Jacob, God’s chosen people and nation. The Star of Jacob is the most
powerful of all stars. He one day will smite all nations. That is what Balaam
meant by the children of Sheth.

He is the Sun of Righteousness
and the Day Star, who will rise in the day of the Lord when He comes again
(Mal. 4:2; 2 Peter 1:19). Yes, beloved, Jesus is the bright and morning star
(Revelation 22:16). The morning Star rose the first time to save His people
from their sins. And He shall rise the second time to smite the nations, and to
put down all rebellion in the earth, and to rule and reign in righteousness. We
need to be looking for and anticipating the rising of this Star.

What about the popularity of this
Star. He is not very popular to the world, but He is popular to you and me who
are saved. How about to you tonight? One day He will be the most popular Star
of Heaven and earth, when He reigns as King of Kings from the throne of David
in Jerusalem. And beloved, to this Star every knee shall bow and tongue confess
that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

2.
Secondly, the holy angels are referred to as stars (Job 38:7).

Like the stars, angels are
created beings (Psalm 148:1-5; Col. 1:16). Like the stars, angels are glorious
beings (Matt. 28:2-4). Like the stars, the heavenly angels are pure and holy. Angels
also give spiritual light and special direction to men, as we saw this morning
from Acts 8.

Angels are also mighty in power.
Only two angels destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they will
execute God’s wrath during the great tribulation period.

The angels appear to be popular
now, to all those who worship them and collect them on their mantle pieces. But
if they really knew the heavenly angels, they would be in fear for their lives
at the mere thought of their presence. The angels of God represent His
righteousness and holiness, and therefore like God, they hate sin and all those
who love sin and rebel against their God.

3.
The redeemed are also likened to stars (Genesis 22:15-18; Jeremiah 33:22).

They are like stars for number.
How many redeemed sinners do you think there are? They are a number that no man
can number!

They are like stars in that they
reflect the light of God’s Star, the Lord Jesus Christ into the world (Mat.
5:14; Phil. 2:15).

They are like stars because of
the grace and glory of God that dwells in them.

They have stars over their
churches (Revelation 1:20). Its hard to imagine your pastor as a star, but
according to God’s Word he is!

There are those who are wise and
turn many to righteousness, who will shine as bright stars forever and forever
(Daniel 12:3).

There is the woman with a crown
of 12 stars (Revelation 12:1), which is speaking of the nation Israel. Yes
beloved, the twelve tribes of Israel are like brilliant stars that will shine forever
as a nation in God’s eternal kingdom.

Now the saints may not be very
popular down here on this sinful earth. We have been killed all the day long!
But beloved, one day we are going to shine like the stars in God’s eternal
kingdom.

I’m not too concerned about being
popular down here in the eyes of sinners, but rather I want to be popular with
God up there, and with His glorified saints and angels. That is what matters!
That is what will last for eternity!

Conclusion:

Do you know God’s star this
evening? Have you seen Him rise upon this world the first time for you? Have
you seen His virgin birth and sinless life that He lived while on this earth?
Have you seen all the miracles that He performed, and the light of truth that
He shined upon this dark world?

Have you seen Him as He was led
to the cross of Calvary where He suffered, bled, and died as the sacrifice for
sinners? Have you seen Him buried in that borrowed tomb, and have you seen Him
rise again from the dead the third day?

Repent of your sins and wicked
ways, and believe that Jesus did all of this for you, and He will save you
right this very moment!

Stars

(Part 3)

As we saw last time, stars can
represent purity, power, or popularity. When a star falls from its place of
purity, then it becomes a dark, evil star. Instead of brightness and light, its
glory becomes darkness and evil. With these thoughts in mind, we want to notice
four other stars this evening that are symbolic of four evil persons that are
revealed in the Scriptures.

1.
Wicked rulers are likened to falling stars.

Worldly rulers are sometimes
likened to stars in the Scriptures. Through good worldly rulers, the people
have light and liberty, and freedom to pursue happiness and spiritual
fulfillment. Wicked rulers, on the other hand, are likened to fallen stars.They
are proud and haughty boasters. They are cruel tyrants that oppress the people
to accomplish their lust for power and wealth and glory. (Isa. 14:12-17).

This prophecy was primarily
written against the king of Babylon, who was lifted up in his pride, and in his
power, and in his wealth and glory.

The king of Babylon referred to
here was probably not Nebuchadnezzar, who took Israel into captivity, but
rather to Nebuchadnezzar’s son (or grandson) Belshazzar (which means Bel (or
Baal) protect the king).

Belshazzar was a wicked, proud
and haughty, and idolatrous heathen king. Once He was so foolish and so
presumptuous that he desecrated the holy vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken
from the house of God, and used them to praise the gods of the heathen. Notice
Daniel 5:1-7.

Much could be said about this
passage, but we will only notice three things.

1) Woe unto a king and to a nation, who become lifted up
in their pride.

Woe to a king and nation that
forget the God who made them great. Furthermore, woe to any man who is lifted
up in pride.

Proverbs 16:18Pride goeth before destruction, and
an haughty spirit before a fall.

2) Woe unto a king and nation, who worship idols, and not
the God of Heaven.

They praised the gods of gold,
silver, brass, iron, wood and stone (v. 4). Babylon was called the “golden
city”. They were famous for their wealth, and for their ruthless means of obtaining
it.

Does that sound familiar? Does
that sound like our nation? Do not our leaders worship the god of wealth? Does
not America worship the gods of wealth and materialism?

3) Woe unto a king who, in his pride, desecrates the holy
things of God.

Beloved, it is one thing to be
lifted up in pride, and to worship idols. But it is yet another thing to
desecrate the holy things of God. God does not take this abomination lightly. He
will not allow this sin to go unpunished.

Our nation was once a humble
nation in her beginnings, but she has become increasingly more and more proud.
She has been given over more and more to materialism and idolatry of every
kind. But in recent years she has caved in more and more to desecrating the
holy things of God.

There is great cause to fear for
our nation. Babylon was a great empire. No one would have dreamed that she
would fall in one day, as it were, but she did!!!

The United States of America is
also a great nation, and no one would dream that she could fall in a day, but
she will if she doesn’t turn from her pride, and her idolatry, and from
desecrating the holy things of God!

Woe unto the fallen stars, to the
princes of this world who lead there nations into idolatry, and desecrating the
holy things of God.

I’m not a politician, but let’s
be careful who we vote for. Personally, I vote for moral and spiritual issues
first and foremost. It doesn’t matter a hill of beans what a man promises to do
for the economy, or foreign policy, or for social issues.

If he hates God’s moral law, and
the sanctity of the lives of the unborn, and the holy things of God upon which
this nation was founded; if he is a proud and haughty sinner exalted against
the God of Heaven and Jesus His Son; God will not bless our nation if we choose
such a vile person for our leader!

2.
Satan and the demons are referred to as stars (Isa. 14:12-15).

I believe that this passage is
spiritually speaking of Satan, or Lucifer, which means the “son of the
morning”. This is the name of Jesus Christ, the Bright and morning star. How
old Satan desires to take the glory away from Jesus, to have it for his own!

Satan was so lifted up in pride
that he literally tried to usurp the throne of God. Can you just imagine the
creature, attempting to overthrow his Creator?

Satan is the leader of the
demonic angels, who led them in their rebellion against God in attempt to overthrow
His sovereign throne.

But Satan failed, and was cast
out of heaven, along with his vile host of demonic angels, and were cast down
to earth where they are now permitted to do their evil deeds among the sons of
men for a season.

No earthly leader could even come
close to fulfilling the accusations spoken of in this text. In the most real
since, this could only be referring to Satan.

We said that a third of the
angels fell along with Satan. Notice (Rev. 12:1-5). A third part of the stars
of heaven in this text, appears to be the number of demons in the world, with
Satan being the chief star among them. Here, Satan is depicted as a great
dragon, showing his true nature and character.

I don’t know how many demons
there are, but no doubt they are a multitude. And these are dark stars, and
fallen stars, that work all manner of evil in the earth. Satan and the demons
hate and persecute Israel, the woman who brought forth the Man-child (v. 13).
They hated her from her conception, because they knew that she would bring
forth the Man-child.

These evil spirits also hound and
harass, and even possess the souls of men. They oppress and depress God’s
children, especially in our weaker moments. Although they cannot possess a
child of God, they can certainly work a world of havoc in our lives.

They are strong and invisible
foes. We are no match for Satan, or his demonic host. We must never think that
we can fight the devil and the demons in our strength as God’s people. Instead,
we must draw near to God, and commit our souls to His trust, and to His
keeping.

Remember, beloved, we are kept by
the power of God (1 Peter 1:5). May we always look to His power for help, and
not our own.

Satan and the demons are black
stars, who are reserved, as it were, in the blackness of darkness forever, for
their final judgment day when they shall be cast into the lake of fire, which
the Bible says was prepared for the devil and his angels.

4.
False angels of light are also like fallen stars (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

These transform themselves into
the ministers of light. They look, and they talk, and appear to be holy men,
pure and righteous, but inwardly they are dark stars and deceivers, who desire
to destroy our souls.

They mimic the true men of God,
as Satan mimics the true angels of light. They pretend to know and love the
Word of God. But in reality they don’t have the Spirit of God, and know not the
truth.

Be careful of these false stars
beloved. They have nothing to offer you. They have no “new light” to offer,
that we don’t have in God’s Word.

Like Satan and the demons, the
end of these false angels of light shall also be according to their works. Let
us not fall with them into their judgment.

Also, among these false angels of light are the wandering
stars (Jude 1:13). These appear to be orbiting in the right direction. They
appear to be leading you in the way that you should go. But before you know it,
they’ve led you off course and out of the good way.

Let us be careful not to follow
wandering stars, who constantly change their course, and there beliefs and
their spiritual convictions.

Let us continue to follow the old
paths, and to follow those stars, or ministers of God, who shine the way in
these good old paths.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we want to briefly
see the stars of God’s judgment and wrath.

Beloved, one day the stars of
heaven are going to assist the judgment and wrath of God upon this wicked
world. We want to notice a few passages that speak of this truth.

There are the falling stars (Matt.
24:29; Rev. 6:13). I don’t know what all of this means. I don’t believe this is
speaking of the distant stars of heaven. It may be a meteorite shower, or
something of that nature. But all I know is that God is going to employ the
very creation of outer space that men have so long worshipped, to assist in
their destruction.

There are the darkened stars (Revelation
8:12). One day the sun, moon, and the stars will withdraw their light, which
speaks of God’s severe judgments (Isa. 13:10; Eze. 32:7; Joel 2:10, 3:15). The
very heavenly bodies of which men have so long enquired for spiritual light,
will then become darkened to them, showing even the stars’ own displeasure in
man’s idolatry.

Yes, beloved, one day God’s wrath
will literally fall upon this old sinful world, when the stars of heaven are
called upon to judge the idolaters who bowed down themselves to worship the
host of heaven.

Let us who are saved be looking
for the true “bright and morning Star”, the Son of God from Heaven, who is
coming for His people before the wrath of God is poured out upon the world.

We are not appointed to wrath,
but unto salvation that will be revealed in that day!!!

And in that day shall the
righteous shine as the stars in heaven. What a glorious day that will be!!!